N.K. artist a master of media

Artists Jordan Miller and Dave Swiecicki have collaborated on the Sweet & Innocent exhibit, which opens March 15 at Cre8ery in the Exchange District. (PHOTO BY DAN FALLOON) Photo Store

When Dave Swiecicki agreed to compile his work for an art show, he had no idea how it would look.

Swiecicki said partner Jordan Miller, manager of Cre8ery at 125 Adelaide St. in the Exchange District, asked if he’d be interested in showcasing his work alongside hers approximately a year and a half ago, and he obliged.

"I knew that I wanted to have more painting stuff than photography stuff," he said. "I wanted to show people I can attempt to paint and things can look somewhat cool."

"Not attempt to paint – you can paint!" interjected Miller.

Ultimately, several of Swiecicki’s talents will be displayed when the show, Sweet & Innocent, opens March 15 at Cre8ery, with the premiere running from 7:30 to 11 p.m. The North Kildonan resident will showcase paintings, image transfers (photos pasted to canvas which can then be designed to complement the photo), and two videos.

One is a music video he shot and edited for fellow North Kildonan resident Scott Hinkson for the song The Light That’s Never Off, while the other is a behind-the-scenes video detailing the exhibit’s creation with some of his instrumental tunes used as background music.

Swiecicki had shot footage before, but only learned the editing process in the fall, making the video for Chief Peguis Junior High and River East Collegiate classmate Hinkson his first complete project.

"(I was creating) some of those shots where the scene lasts a few seconds, but a lot goes into it," he said. "You’re experimenting. Why doesn’t it work? Why doesn’t it look cool? How do I make it look cool? You’re just playing around for hours.

"Some of those shots don’t last long enough. It just goes by. You see something about it, but then you have to watch it again, which is what I wanted, too."

Miller said Swiecicki, also known as Jet Set Satellite guitarist and keyboardist Bulldog, was initially nervous about putting his work out there, but promised they could work together. It started with Miller transferring some of Swiecicki’s photographs onto canvas and painting around them, and led to the pair working on two paintings simultaneously.

"We’re both abstract painters, but I’ve always had more of an image (incorporated)," said Miller. "It’s actually really hard for me not to go ‘Oh, I need to paint a person in there somewhere’.

"Sometimes, working collaboratively, you have to feed off each other, work with each other’s voice. The rule was we couldn’t paint over what someone else had already painted."

Miller will feature paintings and image transfers, with many focusing on her childhood memories, even incorporating photographs of her as a child. She said her last show, Finding Home; Searching Self, held at the Centennial Concert Hall last year, was painting-driven and she wanted to feature other aspects of her work this time around.

"I didn’t want to do the same show two times in a row," she said. "I’m just tired of doing the same paintings. You want to get people excited about new works."

The show runs until March 26. For more information, visit www.cre8ery.com.

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